The Walking City is one of Archigram’s most recognizable
works. Executed by Warren Chalk and Ron Herron in 1964 , it the clearest
representation of Archigram’s quest to design a mobile urbanity. Like many of
Archigram’s projects, the Walking City anticipates life in a fast-paced,
technologically advanced urban society where individuals are not tied to
permanent location. The structures are conceived to plug into static utilities
and networks according to the occupants’ needs and have amenities plugged into
them. This nomadic existence anticipates some of Archigram’s later projects,
which foresee a global information market. Though widely considered
impractical, such structures are argued to be solutions to intra-ageing
infrastructure.
This
work shows a relationship to the Cushicle and Suitaloon studying minimal
technological structures. Like the Cushicle, the function is the aesthetic.
Like the Suitaloon, the Walking City anticipates a nomadic lifestyle in any
environment.
the walking city in the desert
